The Bidwell Mansion Visitor Center in Chico, Calif., now enjoys a variety of energy-efficient, aesthetic and cost-saving benefits, thanks to the Halo LED 600 Series recessed downlight from Cooper Lighting. As the first stop for visitors to the Bidwell Mansion, a stately 19th century Victorian house operated by the California State Department of Parks and Recreation, the Bidwell Mansion Visitor Center sees more than 35,000 visitors each year. This high visibility prompted the need for a more energy-efficient, dimmable and cost-effective light source as part of a recent retrofit effort.
Cooper Lighting and the California Lighting Technology Center (CLTC) partnered on this project with the California Energy Commission's Public Interest Energy Research (PIER) to provide a solution. Cooper Lighting's Halo LED 600 Series recessed downlight was selected because it's suitable for both retrofit and new construction markets while meeting EnergyStar and California Title 24 requirements, providing high-quality, broad spectrum light and successfully dimming on standard analog dimmers. The building was retrofitted in two phases through the State Partnership in Energy Efficiency Demonstrations (SPEED) Program. In the first phase, 14 existing, 10-inch compact fluorescent (CFL) recessed downlights and a 3-foot T12 strip light, located in the foyer, were replaced with 16 Halo LED 600 Series recessed downlights. Then, 11 additional downlights located in the audio/visual room and above the information desk were replaced. The combined retrofits resulted in a 51 percent energy savings, which translates to 770 kWh of energy saved annually. The increased lamp lifetime from 10,000 hours to 50,000 hours reduced maintenance costs and represents an annual greenhouse gas emissions reduction of 560 pounds.